Over the last several months, when we’ve been covering weddings at a number of churches, I’ve noticed an increase in how difficult is was to obtain early access. This may simply an unlucky run which will return to normal soon, but it has happened.
As a general rule, we like to show up 2-3 hours before the ceremony. This allows us enough time to perform a risk assessment, liase with the church officers/ministers/priests, set up our equipement safely, double check everything is still working and obtain that vital set-up footage. Therfore, I’m sure you can imagine that it can become fustrating to only obtain access in some cases 30-45 minutes before the ceremony is due to start.
Such late access makes it impossible to cover all the above topics in a safe and professional manner, thus forcing one’s hand into making some form of sacrifice. At this point not only do we have to perform all the actions mentioned above, but we also have to film the guests & wedding party arriving and fit the groom with a radio mic to help capture quality audio during the service.
On the rare occasion, when the bride & groom have paid that little extra for a second professional cameraman, we can deploy our resources in such a manner that gets things done. However, most clients are on a budget, and the thought of that extra expense can scare many off when they have everything else to pay for.
Now taking all this into consideration, almost everyone should now see how important it is to ensure that your video production company has sufficient access time to your venue. All parties involved will benefit greatly, and all it takes is to simply inform your church that you are having your wedding filmed and that you’d like to ensure that there will be suitable access time.
If you are getting married, and having it filmed by anyone, please take my advice and ensure that your company of choice won’t be left standing until it’s pretty much too late to perform a first class job.
